I have
been hiking and camping ever since I was a young child, seriously
backpacking for over a year and growing increasingly interested in
mountaineering. I also rock climb. Right now I mostly do three day,
two night weekend trips with my wife and two dogs for conditioning
with a bigger climb thrown in every so often. I generally carry a
heavy pack and seek the steepest terrain possible in order to train
for trips to big mountains. I have mostly been backpacking in hot
weather, but am also seeking some cold weather experience.

These
Rocky 8" Zipper AlphaForce Boots are marketed as duty boots and are
made primarily of black
leather, featuring black 1000 denier nylon in the areas not comprised of leather. They are
waterproof and have a heavy duty 7” (18 cm) zipper on the inner
side of the boot with a double snap flap that prevents the zipper
from unzipping while in use. Behind the zipper there is a gusset made
of some type of
stretchy, waterproof material that keeps water from entering the
boot, but allows the inner side of the boot to be expanded for
quicker, easier footwear changes. Most of the stitching on the boot is
double stitched, with only two exceptions: on the inner edge of flap
for the laces (which is just a hem anyway) and the top edge of the
zipper gusset (also just a hem).

The boots, per side, feature eight
shoe-lace eyes and one riveted “D” at the ankle. Round laces come with
the boots. The sole is made of molded EVA with a rubber outsole. It
features an
aggressive tread pattern that is labeled as “Non Marking”, “Slip
Resistant”, and “Oil Resistant”. The “Rocky” logo is placed on the
tongue, sole, and heel of the boot. Insoles are made of
foam and are 1” (2.5 cm) thick at the heel. Boots are marked “Made
in China”.

Field Information:

I originally
bought the Rocky AlphaForce boots to use them for training in
preparation to enlisting in the military, hoping to get something
close to the boots currently in use by the Army. As such, my initial
use was road and trail marching of which I did probably close to 75
miles (121 km) with a 60 lb (27 kg) pack over the span of three
months. My longest trip was a 10 mile (16 km) road march (Logan Co.,
Ohio) with a 30 lb (13.6 kg) pack on hilly terrain in sunny
conditions of about 80 degrees F (26 degrees C). I also used the
boots in cold conditions for a 6 mile (9.6 km) winter training hike
(Old Mans Cave, Ohio) with a 50 lb (22.6 kg) pack over hilly, hard
pack trails in temperatures around 30 degrees F (-1 degrees C).
Comfort during these uses was excellent, even with the quick marching
on hard surfaces (roads, hard pack trails, etc.).

After my
plan for joining the Army fell through, I became more interested in
backpacking and mountaineering. I continued using these boots for
backpacking and general hiking, finding them an excellent choice for
both. I use them on every climb we take.
11 miles (17.7 km)
on the Lonestar Trail in Sam Houston National Forest, mainly flat,
well established trail with temperatures in the 70 degree F (21
degree C) range with some rain and a 51 lb (23 kg) pack.

9
miles (14.5 km) over 3 days in Dinosaur Valley State Park, TX, on
rocky, steep trails with temperatures in the 90 degree F (32 degree
C) range with a 50 lb (22.7 kg) pack. On this trip we crossed a river
a few times and the waterproofing kept the water out all the way up
to the 8” (20 cm) mark.

14 miles (22.5 km) over 3 days at
Colorado Bend State Park, TX on rocky, steep trails and some off
trail hiking through scrub and cactus with temperatures in the 90
degree F (32 degree C) range and a 42 lb (19 kg) pack. Never got
stuck by any of the cactus (prickly pear) plus the 8” (20 cm) height
came in nice when not on trail in the form of at least some
protection from possible snakes and tough plants.

5 miles (8
km) over 2 days at Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, OK, on
steep, rocky trails and also scrambling and bouldering with
temperatures in the 90 degree F (32 degree C) range and a 42 lb (19
kg) pack. We climbed Elk Mountain (2270 ft., 692 m) which has
approximately 600 ft (183 m) of vertical gain on a mile (1.6 km) long
trail. The boots did very well, giving me excellent traction on steep
boulders and hills.

I haven't used the boots extensively in
snow, but have walked around in a few Ohio winters in them with
excellent results. The waterproofing kept my feet dry and the tread
pattern on the sole seems to work well. With a good pair of socks
they seem to be decently insulated. I wouldn't want to wear them in
sub-zero weather, because the times I did wear them in the snow, I
was just on the edge of comfort with maximum insulation and the
temperatures were just slightly below freezing.

Summary:

Overall, these have been
excellent boots for hiking and climbing, even though I don't think
they were designed with that use in mind. They broke in fairly quick,
with only minimal blistering (probably more from wearing cotton socks
than the boots themselves). They have held up very well over the two
years I have owned them and they seem like they will give me many
more years of use. They are extremely comfortable on long, rocky
hikes and the waterproofing allows me to slog through anything less
than 8” (20 cm) deep without worrying I'm gonna get squishy feet.
The zipper makes taking them off after a tiring day of hiking a quick
and easy affair. The one downfall of this boot is the fact that they
don't breathe well. I don't have excessively sweaty feet, but the
boots seem to hold in all the moisture. Wool socks seem to help keep
the moisture away from my feet a bit better, but it's still not
ideal. Other than that (and it's something I can deal with), they are
excellent boots for traction, comfort, durability, and style.

Dislikes:

Doesn't breathe as much as I would
like

Leather seems to scuff easily (probably just natural to
leather)

Could be cooler for hot summer hiking, warmer for
colder winter hiking

Product tested and reviewed in each Formal Test Report has been provided free of charge by the manufacturer to BackpackGearTest.org. Upon completion of the Test Series the writer is permitted to keep the product. Owner Reviews are based on product owned by the reviewer personally unless otherwise noted.